Isolde & the Beast
by Crayola Color Sky
Summary: Isolde has less than a year to serve out her time at her master's castle. She has never met him, nor has he ever seen her- and that's how she likes it. Her master, once a beloved king who ruled over his people with a firm and just hand, lives his life as a horrifying beast without any companionship but his servants. Then one day, Isolde and the beast meet.
1. Prologue: King James and His Curse

This is the story of a man with a curse and a servant girl.

There was once a great man who ruled over a great country with a firm but kind hand. His subjects adored him and his rivals admired him. He had no enemies and was loved by all who knew him. The king's land was peaceful and prosperous. He kept busy every hour of every day and never had any time to pay attention to the many women who tried to catch his eye. He was far too busy to be selfish about finding love. He was young and figured it could wait.

This king also had a younger brother who had lived in the king's great shadow his whole life. He was just as good of a man and was respected just as much as his brother, but he had always felt overlooked. He was desperate for any chance to prove himself to be just as great as his elder brother. He was smart and advised his brother often. He was strong. He ventured out on hundreds of quests, saving beautiful damsels from terrifying monsters along the way.

One day, a great dragon attacked the village surrounding the king's castle. While the king tried to find a way to peacefully resolve the attack, the king's brother sought to slay the dragon.

"Henry, we cannot simply attack it! There must be a way to peacefully resolve this. You'll get killed!" The young king paced his throne room, his brother standing before him.

"Nobody else is brave enough. You know I can do this. How many more villagers will be killed or injured because of this dragon? We must do something about it. It isn't just a matter of talking to it," Prince Henry said. "We must take control of the situation, James."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do. Don't you see that? Dragons don't just live wild and alone. Usually someone is in control over it. Right now we're trying to figure out exactly who it is that is controlling this dragon." King James ran a hand through his raven hair then looked to his brother with sorrowful gray eyes. "I know I cannot stop you, but the whole kingdom will mourn if you perish."

Henry stood tall, his confidence making his chiseled face and golden locks glow. "I will not die. I promise you that." Before anything else could be said, he ran from the throne room. The king shook his head and convened again with his royal advisors and mages. They continued to try to find another way to resolve their dragon problem.

Meanwhile, Henry donned his armor and collected his sword. His bravery was unwavering as he set out to slay the dragon that had plagued his village for far too long.

After a great struggle, the prince succeeded in his quest to slay the monster. The king was overjoyed that his brother did not perish and succeeded in saving the village from even more destruction. A great feast was held in Henry's honor. He was declared a hero by the villagers and in that moment, he was respected far more than the king.

As everyone rejoiced and celebrated, an enchantress heard of the dragon's demise. The dragon was her own beloved pet and mourned the loss deeply. She grew angry with the prince. She needed payment for what had been done.

Right in the middle of the festivities, she appeared out of nowhere in front of the king and prince.

"Which one of you killed my beloved dragon?" she demanded of them.

The prince stood without any hesitation. "It was I," he answered.

The enchantress glared at him. "You took the life of my dragon and now you must pay. You shall die for your crimes!"

The king stood, angered by her words. "No! Do not kill him. He was only doing what was best for his people! Your dragon would have destroyed the village and killed everyone living there. Who knows what else it might have done after that if you had continued to keep it out of your sight. Do not punish him for what he thought was best for his country. Please, take me instead. The kingdom now needs him more than they need me."

The enchantress was moved by the king's words and selflessness. She did not say anything at first while she tried to find a suitable solution to her own problem. Finally, she said to him, "Your quickness to sacrifice yourself for love of your brother and kingdom is admirable. Because of this, I shall kill no one today. Your actions demand recognition. I will bless this land with prosperity and peace until the end of time. No misfortune will ever befall the land or its people.

"However, your brother's actions still demand justice. Since you so willingly offered your life to spare his, you will receive a curse that will no longer make you so beloved. People will run in fear at the mere sight of you. I will banish you to a land far away, where no one knows your story. Just like my dragon, you will be feared and unwanted. You will become a beast, a monster. You will live alone for eternity. You shall never die."

She studied the king for a moment. The hall was silent as she stared at the king. "Pray tell, good king, why haven't you married?"

He was startled by the odd, seemingly off-topic question. "I was busy ruling my kingdom. I am young. I assumed it could wait several more years."

"Then consider this a gift." She raised her hands and the room darkened. "Your curse can only be broken by true love. When you can make a woman love you for your ugly façade, your curse will fade. When you can make a woman marry you, your curse will be broken. Now you finally have the time to focus on finding yourself a wife."

Then a dark smoke surrounded the king. The enchantress waved an arm and the smoke vanished. The king had disappeared leaving behind nothing but his crown.

The enchantress laughed and snapped her fingers. She was gone in an instant, leaving the subjects mourning the loss of their king and Henry to assume the throne.

The enchantress sent James to a far off land, just as she promised. His appearance was indeed frightful. He was transformed into a beast with sharp teeth and razor-like claws. Dark, unruly fur covered his whole body. His voice became more of a growl.

His mind stayed as human as it had ever been, though, and he clung to his sanity at first. He tried desperately to keep the beast from entering his kind soul. But as the years passed, he grew lonely. The enchantress had given him servants, but they feared him just as much as anyone else might. Occasionally lost travelers would wander onto the grounds of his sprawling estate, but as soon as they saw a glimpse of him, they ran. The king lost hope and slowly he became mad from the loneliness. Eventually the beast took over his mind and nothing was left of his human self.

After many years had gone by, his own servants had forgotten that he was ever a human. A different tale was spun with each generation of servants. Stories began to spread throughout the countryside of the frightening beast that lived in the castle among the hills. Soon not even lost travelers would happen upon the castle, leaving the only human contact the beast had was with his servants.

The servants themselves had a curse of their own. In some way or another, they had all angered the enchantress. As their punishment, they were banished to the castle to live out their lives in servitude to the beast. At first, the enchantress didn't allow them to bring their children with them, but eventually couldn't bear to see the children parted from their parents. So she allowed them a choice: the children could be left behind or they could accompany their parents to the castle until their eighteenth birthday.

Upon their eighteenth birthday, the children were given their own choice: leave the castle immediately or stay behind to live out the rest of their lives in service to the beast.

This is the story of one of those children and how she saved the beast from himself.


	2. Isolde Meets the Beast

Nobody ever stayed at the castle longer than they needed to. The beast was frightful and scared everyone off. Any servants that _could_ make it out did so as soon as they could.

At seventeen, I was eager to end my years of service to the enchantress- and to the beast. I had perfected the art of avoiding him altogether. I had only seen him from afar and that was enough to scare me. I knew how to conceal myself in a tight corner as he passed by and how to avoid any servant trying to get out of serving him at dinner. I did so well at mending his shirts that usually nobody usually tried to ask me for any favors anyhow.

"Isolde! There you are."

I looked up from my mending. The head housekeeper, Emma, stood before me. "Ginny is ill _again_ and nobody else will take her place. I would do it but I have errands to run in the village. I need you to serve the master's tea today."

I stared at her incredulously. "Emma, I have spent the past seventeen years avoiding him completely. I am not about to start serving him tea now!" I set down my mending in my lap. "You're crazy to think I'd do it."

"You're the _only_ who has never dealt with him up close. I don't need to tell you that- you know better than anyone else here. It's your turn. You only have eleven months to carry out, isn't that right? I'm only asking for _one_ afternoon. Now go change into your maid's clothes and get to the kitchen now. The master will take his tea in his study today. Hurry, before he gets angry and decides to break something." Before I could argue more, she spun around and left.

I sighed, forcefully throwing my mending into the basket at my feet. Her threat of him breaking something was an unlikely scenario. He hadn't gotten _that_ angry in the years that I had been living in the castle. Though I knew he wouldn't get all that angry, I still didn't want him mad at me. I stomped to my room, where I changed outfits quickly. I tried not to think of the beast's sharp claws and teeth as I made my way to the kitchen.

Emma stood in the kitchen, putting the teapot on a tray that held an oversized, metal cup and some biscuits. She looked up as I entered. "There you are! Hurry. I can hear him getting impatient." She quickly explained how he liked his tea prepared and practically shoved the tray in my hands.

I took the tray from her and tried not to let my shaking hands get the best of me. I wound my way up the narrow servants' staircase and came out in the hallway that led straight to the beast's study. I walked as fast as I could without spilling his tea and entered the room.

His study was dark and frightening. The drapes were drawn so no light could be let in. A struggling, small fire dimly filled the room with just enough light to see where I was going. The beast sat in a chair staring into the fire.

"It's about time," he growled as I slowly made my approach, not looking at me. "You're late."

I set down the tray on the small table near him and began to pour the tea into his large cup. I swallowed my fear the best I could and quickly managed to stutter a response. "I am terribly sorry, sir. The one who usually serves you is ill and I was given the task at the last minute."

At the sound of my voice, he turned his head sharply to look at me. Startled, I spilled a bit of tea but regained my composure. I had seen him hundreds of times before, but it was all from a safe distance, usually with his face half-hidden. I had almost never seen his whole face, but it looked even more frightening than I remembered in the light.

He gave me a look that must have been a frown. "Who are you? How long have you been here? What have you done to be sent here?"

I cleared my throat. "I've lived here nearly my whole life, sir. My parents were sent here twelve years ago. My mother has passed, but my father still does some of the gardening. He takes care of the roses primarily."

He narrowed his eyes. "How have I not seen you before?"

I felt my hands begin to shake more. Was the question rhetorical? His continued silence and the expectant look on his fact told me otherwise. I wasn't sure what to say. Should I lie and say I had worked in the gardens my whole life up until now? Should I simply tell him that I had no idea?

Before I could stop myself, I stupidly blurted out, "I'm just lucky I guess." I gasped at my words, freezing.

I could see his body tense. "Yes, I suppose you are," he said coldly. "You're dismissed."

I nodded and left the room quickly, still stunned at my words.

* * *

The beast sat in his study, glaring at the fire. His tea was late. Where was that girl? What was going on?

He heard the door open and the girl enter. "It's about time," he growled. "You're late."

She set down the tray on the table next to him. To his surprise, she spoke. They never spoke to him unless it was necessary. "I am terribly sorry, sir. The one who usually serves you is ill and I was given the task at the last minute."

He turned his head sharply to look at her.

The startled girl looked back at him then quickly looked away, continuing with the task at hand. Her face was round and youthful and the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her eyes sparkled like sapphires in the dim firelight. Her hair shone brilliantly. What had such a young beauty done to anger the enchantress?

"Who are you? How long have you been here? What have you done to be sent here?"

She cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. "I've lived here nearly my whole life, sir. My parents were sent here twelve years ago. My mother has passed, but my father still does some of the gardening. He takes care of the roses primarily."

Her voice was so angelic that it distracted him from what she was saying. Suddenly he realized what she had just told him. She had lived here, under his roof, for twelve years? Was she lying to him?

"How have I not seen you before?"

He watched her hands shake harder. She didn't speak for a moment, as if judging whether he was seriously asking. He himself wasn't sure. He just stared at her, entranced by her amazing beauty.

Suddenly she blurted out, "I'm just lucky I guess." After she spoke, he heard her take a sharp intake of air, as if she couldn't believe she had said it either.

He felt his body tense up. Had she truly just said that? He felt his suspicion rise up again. "Yes, I suppose you are," he said coldly. He didn't want her around anymore. "You're dismissed."

She turned quickly and practically ran from the room.

The beast stared at the door after it closed behind her. She was breathtakingly beautiful and her voice was like an angel's. How could it be that she had lived here for her whole life and he never once saw her? It wasn't possible. He was confused. His heart felt strange. It beat harder and stronger than ever before. What did it mean?

For the rest of the afternoon he couldn't get her shining chestnut locks and sparkling blue eyes out of his head. She was so beautiful, so enchanting. She was different than the rest of the servants too. She was braver than any of them, that much was certain. Brave or stupid, anyway. She was so chatty compared to the others. It intrigued him and gave him the desperate desire to know everything about her. He needed to know more.

At dinner, he decided to call for the head housekeeper. He sent his butler to get her and sat impatiently waiting for her. The mousy looking woman entered right away, looking nervous. "You called for me, Master?"

"The girl that served me tea earlier. Is it true she has lived here for nearly her whole life?"

The woman looked startled by his question, but answered promptly and calmly. "Yes, sir, that is true."

So she wasn't lying. It was true. He frowned.

"Sir, did she do something wrong?" The woman was looking at him with concern.

"No, not at all. I'm… just curious. I had never seen her around here before. I assumed she was lying when she told me that she had been here for her whole life."

She looked surprised. "No, sir, she was not lying to you. Is there anything else I can do for you this evening?"

He stared at the woman, trying to sort the hundreds of thoughts running through his mind. "I want her to serve me my tea every day from now on."

She nodded. "Of course, sir."

"How old is she?"

"Just turned seventeen, sir, about a month ago."

"Then she still has a year to make up for the years that she did not serve me before." Almost as an afterthought he quickly added, "She will join me in the library every Monday as well for an hour starting next week. She will keep me company and have tea with me. That is all."

If the housekeeper thought that this request was odd she said nothing about it and left.

The beast was startled by himself. Why had he requested that the girl keep him company? It wouldn't end well, he knew that. What was he thinking? He growled angrily at himself and dug into his meal.


	3. Isolde Has a New Chore

I am SO sorry. I didn't have access to internet, and then when I got internet, my laptop charger cord tried to kill me so I had to get one that wouldn't sabotage me. So here's the continuation of Beauty & the Beast.

* * *

I ran from the beast's study faster than I had ever run before in my life. I ran to my room and shut the door behind me. I leaned against the door and slid to the floor.

At least my comment meant that he would never want to see me again. I still couldn't believe my stupidity for saying such a thing! I sighed, relieved that it was over. All I had to do was continue to hide from him for the next year and I was set. I finally got back up and changed back into my general work clothes. I decided it was time to visit my father.

I walked out to the gardens where I found my father kneeling by a rose bush in the cool afternoon air. He looked up at me with a smile. "My dear. How are you?"

I knelt down next to him. "I served the beast his tea today."

He frowned at my use of the word 'beast.' He had never approved of anybody calling the master of the castle that. I had never understood why. "Don't call him that."

I sighed. "That's what he is, Papa."

"He's a prisoner just like the rest of us and he has it much worse off. I know what he is, but just don't call him that."

I didn't say anything in reply. I didn't care what Papa said, the _master _was still a beast.

I helped Papa in the gardens for the rest of the afternoon. We clipped off the old blooms and removed the dead leaves. We spoke little as we worked, tending to the rose bushes with tender care. My mother had admired the gardens while she lived here. She said that the beauty of the outdoors was refreshing compared to the desperation that she felt inside the castle. In the gardens, she had felt at peace. She made the best of her situation. Both of my parents had made the best of it.

Later, we retreated inside to the kitchen for dinner. All of the servants sat around the table eating beef stew when the butler, Edward, came down in a rush looking concerned and confused. "Emma, he asked for you."

Shocked, everyone turned to stare at her. Her face paled, turning as white as snow as she got up to see what the beast could possibly want from her in the middle of dinner.

We all sat in silence, wondering what the beast wanted of our head housekeeper. He rarely asked for her and especially not at dinner time. Usually when he asked for her, he was angry about something a servant had done and he sought out Emma to straighten it out. I felt my hands become shaky and sweaty. Was he truly that angry at my outburst earlier? Surely he would have talked to her about it by now! We all waiting impatiently for her to return. It wasn't long before she came back.

She gave us all a weak smile and said, "Nothing to worry about. Now everyone get back to eating." She sat back down as we all heaved a sigh of relief. She silently finished her meal with the rest of us. I watched her suspiciously throughout the meal, but she never once looked up. I finally allowed myself to relax and finish my own bowl of stew.

Later that night I sat in my room, reading a book by candlelight in bed. A soft knock came to my door.

"Come in," I called, surprised. Nobody ever visited me.

Emma came in with a passive face. She stood just inside the door casually, but her smile betrayed concern. "The master wants you to serve him tea for the remainder of your year here."

I almost dropped my book in shock. "He does?" I asked. "I thought he'd never want me to serve him again. I was horrible."

She looked as confused as I felt. "Really?" Then she began to wring her hands together, looking a little guilty. "There's something else. He… he also wants you to… to keep him company. Every Monday for an hour in the library."

This time I did drop my book. "_What?_" I asked in a half-whisper. This was unprecedented. The beast always wanted to be left alone. Suddenly he wants to be kept company? In the library?

She sat down at the foot of the bed. "I don't know what you did or what you said to him, Isolde, but he has taken quite an interest in you. I've never seen him so distracted. Just be careful and watch what you say. I know you have a hard time keeping your thoughts to yourself sometimes."

"I don't understand," I said softly. "I practically insulted him! I mean, I didn't, but I sort of did. He dismissed me immediately after."

She stared at me in awe. "_Please_ be careful, Isolde," she repeated. "You're so close to eighteen. You can leave in less than a year! If you anger beast you might anger the enchantress, too, and you don't want be stuck here forever. I don't have to tell you that."

I felt a tear fall down my cheek. "What am I going to do? What does he _want_ me to do? Am I just supposed to sit with him? Am I supposed to make small talk? What would I talk about with him!?"

She just shook her head. "I don't know. He didn't say what he wanted from you."

The next morning I sought out my father at breakfast and told him what happened. He just stared at me.

"What did you do, Isolde?" he asked.

I felt my voice waver. "I don't know! This hasn't ever happened before, has it?"

"Not that I know of." He set his spoon down and thought for a moment. "I don't even know how long he's been here. He's older than everyone in the castle, I'm pretty sure. Maybe it has happened before, but I don't think so."

I sighed in defeat. "What am I going to do?" I asked. "Monday is two days away and I don't know what he wants from me!"

"You'll just have to ask him. Perhaps he will tell you what he expects of you."

For the rest of the morning, the news about my fate spread like wildfire. I grew tired of the strange looks and hid away in the mending room where I could mend clothes and sit in solitude. When lunch came around, I ate very little. I was too nervous. As I stared at my bowl of tomato soup, Ginny came to sit down next to me.

"I heard about yesterday," she said softly. "I wish I hadn't been ill. Then this wouldn't have happened."

Ginny was the same age as I was, but she was four months away from being free of the castle. She had worked hard, hoping to get out early. There was a rumor that floated around among the children that if you worked hard and proved yourself worthy of it, you'd be released early. However, nobody had proof that this worked and it had yet to work for Ginny.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it, Ginny. You didn't know this would happen. Besides, I managed for seventeen years to get by without having to deal with him, so now it's my turn I guess."

She gave me a sorrowful smile and got up, leaving me alone once more.

I sighed, pulling myself up from the table. I walked back to my room to change into my nice service clothes. In my warped mirror I took in my reflection. My icy blue eyes stared back at me with my chestnut locks escaping my bun, wildly flung about my face. I undid the bun and smoothed the stray strands. I redid the bun and pinned it back tightly. Satisfied with my reflection, I went to do a little mending before I had to serve tea. As I headed down the hall, I briefly wondered if this is what the next year would be, waiting around nervously until I had to serve the beast.

I mended several of the beast's torn shirts while I waited. Emma had found some stronger thread in the village and brought it back for me to use on his shirts. With his great brute strength he often tore his shirts at the slightest movement. I had much less to work on since he no longer tore as many stitches. I worked for a little while and was soon done with the day's work.

I finally decided it was time to head to the kitchen, where Emma expected me to prepare the tea. I gathered everything and heated the water for the tea. The cook had set out biscuits to serve with tea, so I set them on the tray and double checked that I had everything.

I grabbed the sugar bowl and made my way carefully upstairs to the study. As I climbed the stairs, I thought about what might happen. Should I ask him what he would like me to do during that hour with him in the library? Or should I not mention it at all? Should I ask him why he wanted me to spend time with him at all? I decided not to say anything. I reached the door and pushed it open, entering quietly. The beast sat in his chair like he had the day before: facing the fire with a brooding stare at the flames. I silently approached him and set down the tray, readying his tea.

He watched me as I poured the tea into the cup, much less shaky than before. I set the teapot down and looked him in the eye, determined to show him he did not scare me. Though in truth I was still terrified.

"Is there anything else, sir?"

He didn't answer, only stared at me more. I felt a strange blush creep into my cheeks.

"Sir?" I prodded.

"Were you informed of your new duties?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Mondays you will join me for tea in the library. Just prepare it as usual. Bring whatever you like to add to your own tea." He turned back to face the fire.

I was just going have tea with him? Was that really all? "I understand, sir. Anything else for you today?"

"That's all for today. You may go."

I nodded and retreated back into the bright hallways and down to the kitchen.

* * *

The beast stared into the fire, not touching his tea for the second day in a row. That girl was even more entrancing than he remembered. His heart beat in that odd way again.

She had looked him straight in the eye. Nobody did that. If he asked anyone in the castle, not one person would be able to tell him what color his eyes were. She was so different from anyone else. Her bravery was unbelievable. It reminded him of Henry.

It had been years since he thought of Henry. He had somehow found a way to suppress any memories of his brother. Any thought of his brother made him angry. The last time he remembered thinking of this brother, he had gone around and smashed every mirror in sight. He couldn't remember exactly what Henry had done to put him here or who they were before his curse. He just somehow knew it was because of Henry that he was in this form…

Before he could stop himself, the beast threw the teapot at the fireplace. It shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces.

He couldn't go there. He could not think of what had happened. He struggled enough to keep himself from going _completely_ animalistic. He didn't need anything to trigger another episode. He had gone at least twenty years since his last.

Perhaps that's what the girl was for. He felt so odd when she was around him; perhaps it was his old self returning. He growled at the thought. The thought was ridiculous. In order for him to return to his old self, it meant he had to fall in love. He remembered that much of his curse, and that certainly wasn't going to happen. He had admitted defeat to the curse a long time ago.

It was with those thoughts that he realized he didn't even know the girl's name.


	4. What Isolde Saw

On Sunday, I took the beast's tea to him. The day before had been silent and uneventful. As I was preparing his tea, he continued to stare into the fire instead of staring at me like he had the days before.

"What is your name?" he asked suddenly, still not looking at me.

I looked up, startled- just as I was the last time he asked me a direct, personal question.

"Isolde, sir."

He continued to stare into the fire.

I finished and straightened. "Is that all, sir?"

He gave me a sideways glance.

"Yes, I suppose so."

As I was leaving, he called out, "Wait, come back."

I returned to stand next to him. "Did I forget something?" I asked, looking down at the tray.

"No," he said. The next part came out softer, almost human-like. "I just… Never mind. I'm… looking forward to tomorrow. That's all."

His last sentence shocked me. I felt as though I were seeing him very exposed. I had no idea what to say. As I tried to conjure up words to say, he barked at me, the softness in his voice gone. "You may go now."

"Yes, sir," I said in a whisper. I ran out the door in a hurry. I rushed back downstairs and as I entered the sewing room, I ran into Emma.

"Isolde, my goodness, what's gotten into you?" She gave me a worried look and placed her hand on my shoulder in a comforting way. "Has he hurt you?" she asked, though we both knew he had never hurt anyone in the castle.

I realized I was shaking. I shook my head. "No… No, he hasn't."

"Sit down, you're worrying me. Tell me what's wrong." She guided me to a bench and sat down next to me. "Isolde. Look at me. What has gotten you so shaken up?"

I shrugged, finally able to calm myself a little. "I don't know why it got to me so, but as I was leaving he called me back. He was going to say something else I think, but instead he told me that he was looking forward to tomorrow. It felt… It felt so strange. Like I was seeing a part of him I shouldn't have seen."

She looked just as shocked as I felt. "He _said_ that?" she asked in amazement.

"Yes! It was so strange, Emma."

"Did you hear what Ginny found when she went to clean up his study Friday night?"

I shook my head. "No, what?"

She looked around to make sure no one was around. She leaned in closer and said quietly, "He had thrown the teapot at the fireplace. It was shattered all over the place. She spent a lot of time picking pieces out of the rug."

I gasped. "What has gotten into him?" I asked quietly, suddenly horrified. Other than his yelling, the beast had never shown violent tendencies in my lifetime at the castle.

Emma looked at me with a very serious face and said softly, "I think you have gotten to him. I don't know what it is, but he's been so strange since you served him his tea on Thursday. Please be careful tomorrow. I don't know what he's going to do."

"How could I have gotten to him? I have barely said anything to him! I go upstairs, serve him his tea, leave, and that's it!"

She shrugged. "I don't know what it is. All I know is that he has not been the same since."

* * *

The beast paced the library for a full hour before Isolde was due for tea. He growled angrily as the time slowly passed. Oh, how he was nervous! That only made him angrier. Why was a girl making him nervous? She was a girl- _just_ a girl.

He wore his best clothes. He wasn't sure why he had chosen such a nice outfit. Was he trying to impress the girl? His emotions made him feel so confused.

At exactly two o'clock, Isolde came in carrying the tea. She moved silently and with purpose as usual. She set the tray down on a table between the two chairs he had moved in front of the fireplace.

While she poured the tea, he went over to her and sat down in his chair. She set his cup beside him and then poured herself a small cup. She looked nervous and unsure of what to do.

"Sit. You don't have to stand to drink tea," he told her as she stood hesitantly by her chair.

She did so quickly, as though if she didn't listen, something terrible would happen to her. He immediately felt sorry for practically snapping at her. She sipped her tea silently. He barely touched his own.

Soon they were both finished and could only sit in silence. He wasn't sure what to say and he was certain she felt as though she couldn't speak out of turn around him.

"Can you read?" he asked.

She looked to him with wide eyes, almost doe-like. "Yes, I can read," she answered, in a tone that was almost defensive.

"Would you like to read to me?" he asked her. With his giant paws and sharp claws, he hadn't been able to read since he was brought here and it pained him that he wasn't able to. He looked at her hopefully, silently praying she wouldn't object.

She looked startled and confused. "If that is what you wish," she said. "What would you like me to read?"

He felt a pang of hurt when he realized that this was only another duty for her. He silently reprimanded himself. Of course that's how she sees this, he told himself. She was wearing her maid's clothes after all. That was clearly enough indication to say that she thought of this as just another chore. What else could this be to her?

"Anything you like. I cannot remember what I liked to read," he said.

She nodded and rose slowly, unsure of what to do. She went to a shelf and pulled a book at random. She sat down again and began to read in the dim firelight. Her voice shook as she read, but it sounded beautiful to the beast's ears. Her voice rang like bells, sweet and soft.

After a while, she stopped. "I'm sorry, sir," she said. "But it has been an hour. I have a lot to do yet today."

Startled, he looked up at the clock that sat on the mantel. Had it truly been an hour? The clock read three o'clock exactly. "Oh, yes, of course. You may go."

She nodded and leapt up, rushing from the library as was her usual fashion when she left him. He growled angrily and loudly. The hour had gone far too fast.

* * *

I looked up at the clock again for what seemed like the millionth time. It was finally three o'clock. "I'm sorry sir," I said timidly. "But it has been an hour. I have a lot to do yet today." He didn't need to know that I really wasn't all that busy.

The beast looked at me blankly, then up at the clock. "Oh, yes, of course. You may go."

I nodded and got up, practically running out of the library. As I closed the door behind me, I heard the beast let out a loud growl. It wasn't uncommon to hear his yells, so I pretended not to notice and ran back downstairs, as far from him as I could get.

Several people were sitting around the kitchen table when I arrived. They looked at me expectantly, eager to gossip about what had transpired. Emma was among them, perhaps the only one that was actually worried for me, and stepped forward. "What happened?" she asked, sounding nervous about the answer I would give.

"It went on far too long. It was the longest hour I have ever experienced. We had tea and then he asked me to read to him. It was so strange," I replied.

Everyone looked a little disappointed by my answer. I knew they wanted something of more intrigue, but I simply shrugged and left them to gossip among themselves.

I shut myself in my room, locking the door so no one could enter. It was a silly precaution since no one ever visited me, but for some reason I needed the extra reassurance. I didn't want to be disturbed. I collapsed on my bed, confused and angry. Was that what I would have to do every Monday for the next year? Sit awkwardly and read to the monster?

I let out an angry scream into my pillow. I was looking forward to a wonderful, easy year until I could leave. Was it too much to ask for? I silently cursed the enchantress and gave out a frustrated growl of my own. Why was I being punished for my parents' crimes? They hadn't even done anything that bad either! They cheated her out of a few silver coins when selling her produce at the market. Why did that warrant a lifetime of servitude in the most depressing place in the whole world, and why did I have to suffer for it?

I sighed and sat up. I realized that I had forgotten the tray. I was supposed to bring it back when we were done. I left my room and went back to the kitchen.

"Do you think he's still there?" I asked Emma, who was folding napkins at the table. Everyone else had left to finish their own chores.

She looked up from her work. "I don't know. Probably not. Why?"

"I forgot the stupid tray. I just didn't want to run into him."

She shrugged and gave me a small, reassuring smile. "My guess is that he's not there. He probably went back up to his study to brood already."

"Thanks," I said, and trudged back upstairs to the library.

When I reached the library, I pulled the door open slowly. I peered inside and saw that the beast was still indeed sitting in his chair. I was about to close the door and leave when I saw him pick up the book that I had absent-mindedly left sitting in my chair. He held it in one paw gingerly as if he was worried he would break it. With the other hand, he took a single claw and carefully tried to open the book. I watched him, suddenly very curious. He managed to get the cover open and he appeared to be triumphant about accomplishing the small task. He then tried to turn the first page, but only succeeded in cutting through several pages with his claw. The failure made him visibly angry and he threw the book over his shoulder, sending it flying across the room. It hit the floor with a thump, barely missing a very opulent vase.

The beast then gave another one of his now-familiar growls, jumped up, and headed towards the door. I panicked and quickly jumped away. I knew I had no time to run away, so I plastered myself against the wall with a small hope that he wouldn't notice me. He came bounding out of the library, pushing the doors open with great force.

Despite my efforts, the beast turned to see me standing by the doors. His face contorted in confusion, then, strangely, relaxed once he registered that it was me. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said flatly, then stormed off to his study.

I felt embarrassed that I had been caught, but the beast showed no embarrassment for being seen. I knew it was a moment of weakness for him. His features conveyed much more emotion than any animal's.

I then went into the library to pick up the tray. As I was doing so, I remembered the book he had thrown. I found it across the room next to the vase. I picked it up. The pages that he had ripped with his claw were cut cleanly. I was startled by how sharp his claws must be to be able to make such a clean cut.

In a split-second decision, I took the book with me. I placed it on the tray with the tea and took it all back downstairs.

I left the tray in the kitchen and quickly took the book to my room. I hid it under my mattress and quickly changed my clothes. I decided that nobody needed to know about what I saw.

I went to find my father. I found him sitting on a bench in the garden, looking out on his roses. I sat down next to him.

"How was it?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Strange. He wanted me to read to him."

He didn't say anything at first. "That's odd."

We didn't speak of it beyond that. We just sat in the garden in a comfortable silence until dinner.

When I took tea to the beast Tuesday, neither of us spoke of what had transpired after our tea. He said very little and dismissed me right away.

The rest of the week went by similarly and much too soon Monday returned. I was dreading it even more than I had the week before. I prepared tea as usual and went up to the library where the beast was waiting.

We sat and had our tea in silence. I wasn't sure if I expected him to ask me to read or if he wouldn't want me to read to him ever again.

As we finished, he said gruffly, "You can leave if you wish. You don't need to stay."

I took the opportunity and this time I took the tray with me.

When I arrived in the kitchen, Emma looked up at me from her napkins with surprise. "What are you doing down here so early?"

I placed the tray on the table and sat down across from her. "He told me I could leave if I wished," I told her.

She looked surprised. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yes. That's what he said."

She shook her head in confusion and continued folding the napkins. "Such an odd being," she remarked.

I couldn't have agreed with her more.


	5. The Beast's Proposition

The beast sat in his study, waiting for his tea. It had been quite a few weeks since Isolde saw him try to read that book. It was strange. He didn't even feel embarrassed by the fact that she had seen him so vulnerable. Rather, in the weeks that she had been bringing him his tea, he felt himself becoming angry much less often, despite the fact that she ran from him as soon as she could and hardly spoke two words to him.

He had told her four times now that she did not need to stay with him in the library and four times she left with a look of relief, leaving him feeling defeated. He wanted her to stay, but he didn't know how to keep them occupied. He didn't really want to read anymore for fear of having the book-throwing incident brought up. He didn't think she would mention it, but she was so unlike anyone else that he thought it was still possible that she could indeed bring it up.

The next day would be Monday again and he was desperately hoping to find a way to make her stay with him this time. He had no idea what to talk with her about and had no idea who to get advice from on the subject. The closest person to a friend in the castle was his butler, and he didn't feel comfortable confiding in him about the strange feelings he had for Isolde. Not yet.

The door opened and Isolde entered, placing the tray next to him as usual. She poured his tea and he took the opportunity to speak.

"You don't need to wear that to the library, you know. You are my guest, more or less, during that time."

Startled, she looked down at her dress. "You mean my dress? Begging your pardon sir, but I have nothing nice enough to wear in your presence other than this."

He shouldn't have been surprised. He knew her position gave her limited resources to work with, but he was still surprised. "You don't need to worry about impressing me. Just… just wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. It's your choice, though."

She bit her lip and shook her head. "If it's the same to you, I'll just wear this."

He nodded and let her finished. He dismissed her and retreated into his thoughts. Suddenly, an idea came to him. He needed to do more. He needed to show her that he wasn't the monster his appearance made him out to be.

He jumped from his chair, yet again leaving the tea cold and untouched. He quickly ran down to find the butler.

"Edward. I need a favor."

* * *

It was Monday again and I no longer dreaded them as much as I did before. The beast hadn't kept me for the whole hour since that very first Monday I spent with him. I felt relieved and much less stressed about the whole ordeal. Perhaps these last months at the castle wouldn't be as bad as I had originally feared.

The beast had told me I could wear whatever I wished on Mondays, but I had nothing suitable to wear. I still felt like the maid's dress was the best even though he said I didn't need to impress him. I didn't want to become too comfortable around him and start saying inappropriate things again. I had to watch myself because I did not want to end up staying in this place for the rest of my life.

I prepared the tea and took it upstairs where the beast was waiting for me. He wasn't waiting in his chair as he had taken to doing. Instead, he stood sheepishly by the fire holding a large bouquet of roses.

I felt my face redden. Why was he holding a bouquet of roses?

I set down the tray and he cleared his throat. I looked up at him nervously.

"Isolde, I was wondering… I was hoping…" He held out the roses to me. "Would you be a guest in the castle? Not just a servant? Keep me company?"

I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I knew I would not leave this conversation without saying something I would regret.

"Why?" I asked, deciding that this was something I had to be very direct about.

Still holding the roses, his arms dropped to his sides. "I don't know," he said. "You're… different from everyone else. I would like to get to know you better."

I tried to use my words as carefully as possible. "If you don't mind me saying, sir, there are easier ways to do so. First, silence will not help you get to know someone. You hardly speak to me when I'm around." The words began to tumble out and I couldn't stop them. "Second, letting me go early does not help either. If I don't stay here with you for one hour, what makes you think I will spend any more time with you than I already do?" I stopped myself before I said anything truly hurtful, but quickly added, "Besides, no one else can mend your shirts as well as I do."

He looked severely disappointed. I felt sorry for being so blunt. He did indeed have a monster's exterior, but his character proved to be nothing more than that of a child. In that instant, I pitied him. He must truly be terribly lonely to want to spend time with a servant.

In an attempt to be nice, I quickly suggested, "Sir, let's just start with getting through this hour, shall we?" I wasn't sure why I was acting so nice to him. I gestured to the chair.

He didn't move. "I am the master of this castle. If you will not be my guest then I will use my power of authority. You will now be spending Mondays _and_ Thursdays here with me. And you _will_ have a guest room. You do not have to use it, but you will have a more comfortable room of your own to use as you please."

I would have laughed if I hadn't found it so odd. He certainly would not allow himself to lose this one, would he?

"I accept your terms." Again, my sharp tongue spoke up. "Now sit. The tea is getting cold."

He walked over and looked at me with narrowed eyes. "You are a curious young woman." With that, he set the roses down next to the tray and sat in his chair.

We drank our tea in silence as was our usual custom. Once we were both finished, the beast broke the silence.

"You are the one that mends my shirts so well?" he asked.

"Yes. Though lately I haven't needed to do as much mending."

He gave me what seemed to be a strange half smile. "That because seeing you calms me. Very much so."

I felt my heart skip a beat. What did he mean? I swallowed nervously. "Is that so?" I asked, trying to sound calm.

"Yes." He didn't elaborate. "Your mending is impressive."

I shrugged, trying to appear more confident than I was feeling. "Thank you."

We spoke of the weather for a while longer and finally he said to me, "You may go. It's only twenty until three. I think you've suffered enough for today."

I stood and thanked him, gathering the tray to take with me.

"Isolde. Your roses," he said as I began to walk away. "Please. Take them. I had them put together for you."

I hesitated then turned to take them from the table. "Thank you, sir."

"I will have the head housekeeper show you your room today. Like I said, you don't have to use it, but it is yours until you leave here."

I nodded and left, feeling very odd.

Emma was waiting in the kitchen. "He asked you to be a _guest_?" she asked, even though she already knew.

I felt my face redden again. "Yes, but I wouldn't have it. He still insisted on giving me a room and now I have to spend Thursday tea time with him, too." I gestured to the roses. "He gave me these, too."

She stared at me in awe. "Isolde, I don't know why he has taken such a keen interest in you, but _my goodness_!"

"What do you think it means?" I asked quietly.

She shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine."

* * *

The beast felt something shift inside of him. Suddenly, he felt lighter and less angry. A small spark of something gave him a vague memory of his life before the beast. What did all of this mean? Was it because of Isolde?

After what happened in the library, he found he yearned even more for her company. He needed her. He started to look forward to her bringing his tea every day and grew impatient for Mondays and Thursdays. He loved the strange rush he got when he saw her. He didn't know what it was, but he loved it.

Their Mondays and Thursdays became very casual. They mostly exchanged small talk, but it felt so wonderful to him. Gradually they were able to make it through the whole hour without any long and uncomfortable silences. Their chatter was almost friendly and soon Isolde took to showing up earlier and leaving slightly later. She hovered around longer in the study when she brought him his tea and no longer ran out when he dismissed her. The beast didn't want to jinx anything, but he felt a friendship growing.

Ever since their meetings had grown friendly, he had begun to have vague memories of his life before the curse. He remembered being kind and well-respected. He still couldn't remember who he was, but he somehow he knew his brother hadn't meant for this to happen.

One Thursday they had just finished their tea when Isolde spoke.

"I know I am still a servant here, but is there anything I can call you? Other than 'sir,' I mean." She looked at him curiously, right into his eyes as was her fashion.

It was a good thing he was not holding his tea, because he was beyond shocked.

Her face contorted into a frown when he didn't answer. She tried again. "Do you have a name?"

He looked away from her and into the fire. He hadn't thought of his own name in a very long time. _Did_ he have a name?

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to offend you…" Her voice sounded disappointed.

He looked to her, panicked. "Oh, no! You didn't offend. Not at all. I just… It's…" He struggled to find the words to explain. "I'm not sure I have a name, that's all. Well, actually, I know I did at one point. I just can't remember it."

She looked surprised. "Oh."

"If you'd like, you can just call me Beast."

She suppressed a laugh. "Very well then."

He felt a corner of his mouth come up. "Have you used the room I gave you yet?" he asked. He hadn't brought up that day since it happened.

She looked a little guilty. "I have, actually…"

"No need to look so guilty!" he told her. "It's yours to use as you wish."

She relaxed a little. "The bed is so very comfortable."

"I imagine it's quite an improvement upon your old bed."

"Yes, yes it is."

They settled into a comfortable silence. As he watched the fire, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her glance at him several times. She studied him them turned back away, only to give him another look soon after.

"You're so different from the rest," he said suddenly, still looking into the fire.

He said this often, but she usually didn't respond. Today, however, she did.

"You always say that. How am I different?"

Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "You're so beautiful. Mesmerizing. You… you just have something special. You're different." He felt his heart do an odd acrobatic move when he said this. He quickly added, "You look me in the eye. You don't jump at every move I make. You speak your mind."

He stole a glance at her and saw that her face was bright red.

"I only look you in the eye because it's the most human part about you. Everything else about you is so much less scary when I focus on your eyes," she said softly, meeting his eyes again. "Have you always been a beast?"

For the first time, he truly looked back at her and into the piercing blue eyes that always caught him off guard. "No. I was once human."

"What happened?"

He shrugged, breaking their eye contact and stared back into the fire. "I don't remember. I've been remembering piece by piece lately. All I can recall is that my brother did something to anger the enchantress. I offered to take his place. So here I am."

"You had a brother?" she asked, intrigued.

"His name was Henry."

"You can remember his name but not your own?"

"I have always been able to remember his name. Nobody has ever called me by name here because nobody knew it. Soon I just forgot it myself." He paused. "I think… I wasn't always so beastly in this form. I think when I first became this monster I was able to keep my sanity. But the loneliness overcame me and I soon lost the part of me that was human."

She tilted her head and said, "Is that why you asked me to keep you company?"

He gave a large sigh. "I don't know why I asked you. I could have asked anyone else in this castle years ago. Like I said. You're different. You're mesmerizing. I didn't know what I was saying when I requested that you join me. It came tumbling out before I could stop it. I just knew I wanted you to be around me."

He looked back at her. She was now staring into the fire, her face passive and unreadable.

"You know I have only four months until I am eighteen," she said, continuing to stare into the fire.

He felt his heart drop. That was all? "I knew it was coming soon."

"I only have one opportunity to leave. If I don't take it, I am trapped here forever."

He couldn't speak. For the first time in a very long time his emotions held his voice captive.

They sat in silence for a while longer until she spoke again. "How old are you?"

"In this form I am nearly a hundred years old, I think." He heard her sharply inhale at the number. "I can't remember exactly how old I was when I became this. I think it was my early twenties."

"That's such a lonely life," she said softly.

"You have no idea," he told her.


	6. Isolde's Rejection

**Okay. Here's the deal.**

**This is the sixth installment. It's kind of a BFD as far as chapters go. And by BFD, I mean it's a HUGE deal. An HFD, if you will. There are only three chapters after this. Yes, this is a short story and it moves fast, especially this chapter. I didn't mean for it to move so quickly when I wrote it. But I just had this idea and I had to keep it going.**

**But what I need is reviews. I've tried to update at a regular, faster pace, but that hasn't been helping at all. I KNOW THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS ON ALERT. I won't be updating again until I get more reviews.  
Before it ends, I would like to know what's working and what isn't. What you like and what isn't as awesome. Obviously my writing style won't change this late into the story, but if there's something you would like to see put into the plot, that would be awesome.  
**

**For those who have reviewed: Thanks! And to my only REGULAR reviewer, OhRuby, you get a giant cookie. :)**

* * *

I was sprawled out on the giant bed in the room Beast had given me. I thought about him often now. I felt so sorry for him. He had lived in that lonely form for almost one hundred years! I thought these past few years had been unbearable without my mother, but I couldn't even imagine what it was like to deal with what he was going through.

I was excited to meet with him now. It was a reprieve from my duties and our conversations had become much less awkward. It was relaxing to just sit and mindlessly talk. I was eager to find out more about him, too. He had been human once! That explained the gray eyes that looked at me with incredible human feelings.

Sighing, I decided to go down and mend some of his clothes. I flopped off the bed and made my way down the hall.

As I passed the library, I heard a thump. I paused, wondering if I had been imagining it. However, soon after a loud crash came from the library. I opened the doors to find Beast with a pile of books. As I entered, he threw one across the room. I saw a vase shattered on the floor.

"Beast?" I called out.

He dropped the book he held. "Oh, Isolde. I-"

"Trying to read?" I asked softly.

He looked embarrassed and defeated. "I can't turn the pages," he said softly, almost in a whisper.

I walked up to him. "Would you like me to read something to you?" I asked, even though I knew that his trying to read was far more than just wanting to simply _read a book_.

He shrugged, looking suddenly very childish. I took a book from the pile and the beast sat down in his chair. I felt the urge to climb onto his lap like a child would. It was an odd feeling. Before I could stop myself, I went to him and pulled myself up on the arm of the chair instead.

His body tensed and I heard him sharply inhale, startled by my sudden close proximity. I leaned into him and I immediately felt him relax and exhale. I smiled, feeling strangely pleased that I had such an effect on him.

I began to read to him and before I knew it, an hour had passed. I looked up to see him looking down at me with a very strange expression.

"Isolde…"

I felt my heart beat wildly in my ribcage. Why was it doing that? What was happening? The look in the beast's eyes made me wary, but not scared. "Yes, Beast?"

"Will you marry me?"

* * *

The beast held his breath as Isolde took in what he had just asked. He himself could barely believe he asked such a stupid question.

But as she leaned against him and read from the book, he realized that he loved her- truly and deeply loved her. He knew that he had never felt this way before in his entire life, not even as a human. He knew it was a very big deal.

"Oh, Beast…," she said softly, never breaking eye contact. "I can't."

He knew that would be her answer, but he couldn't help but feel upset by it. He looked away from her, ashamed of himself.

Then she did something nobody had ever done before. She reached out and tentatively touched his face. Shocked, he lifted his gaze back to her. "I just can't live like this," she whispered sorrowfully, then quickly left.

He almost expected to feel angry at her, to feel the need to throw things and break things. But he didn't. He felt oddly calm. It was a strange, eerie feeling that left him puzzled.

The next day he grew uneasy as tea time grew closer. Would she go back to her old ways, saying little and running out as soon as she was dismissed? He didn't know what to expect. Perhaps she wouldn't show up at all. Maybe somebody else would serve him his tea.

To his surprise, she did come and she was her usual self. She chirped a cheerful greeting to him and began to prepare his tea.

"I didn't think I would see you," he whispered.

She just smiled, not looking up from the tray. "Why wouldn't you?" she asked softly and sweetly, as if his proposal did not happen.

He fidgeted uneasily in his chair. "After yesterday… I thought…"

She set the tea down and knelt beside him, placing her hands on his arm. She was so sweet, so kind. "Beast, I like you. Very much. You are…" She paused, not knowing what to say to him. "You have a good soul. We can't let what happened yesterday get between us and ruin this. I won't lie to you. It made me uncomfortable at first, but we have something good going, truly. We get along very well, don't we?" She smiled up at him. "I guess I'm just trying to tell you that nobody deserves to be alone. I will do my best to spend as much time as I can with you for the next few months. You deserve to be happy. Everybody does."

He looked down at her. Something in her expression told him that perhaps she felt the same way he felt about her. He knew there was only one way to know for sure.

"Isolde, I love you."

She frowned, looking down at her hands that rested on his arm. Then she looked up at him with tears in her bright blue eyes, looking deep into his gray ones. For a moment, his heart began to break. He feared that he had been wrong. Of course she didn't feel the same way… After all, how could anyone possibly love a monster? When she finally spoke, she spoke so quietly he thought to have imagined it. "I think I love you too."

He felt his heart beginning to swell with joy. She did love him after all! "You do?" he asked excitedly. Then he felt his heart sink again. "If you love me, why won't you marry me?" he asked softly.

"Oh, Beast," she said sorrowfully. "You will live on for years. I am human, and I will die. I can't stay here. I just can't. I don't think I could live such a lonely life. It's not fair to you or to me. Please tell me you understand."

He reached out and carefully brushed a stray hair from her face with the back of his paw. Of course he couldn't do that to her. He could never do that to her. She was right. If she were to stay with him, what would happen when she did grow old and die? He would live on forever to mourn her and she would have lived a lonely life. There were so many things he couldn't provide for her. "Will you at least be my guest until you have to go?" he asked quietly.

She thought it over for a moment. "Yes, I would love to."

"Go. Tell everyone downstairs and gather anything you have that isn't in your new room yet. I'll see to it that dresses are taken to your room. I will see you for dinner."

She gave him a large grin and leapt up, leaving the study for the last time as a servant. As she reached the door, the beast stopped her, his mind reeling from a sudden memory.

"Isolde, wait."

She came back. "Yes?"

He looked up at her with joy in his eyes. "My name. It's James."

* * *

I turned around and went back to him when he called to me. "Yes?" I asked.

He looked up at me with an excited look. "My name. It's James."

"You remember!" I said excitedly.

"Yes, it just suddenly came to me." He was excited too. "James. That was my name- who I was- before I became this monster."

I laughed. "James." I laughed a little more. It felt so good to have a name to the one I had grown to love. I told him forcefully, "You are _not_ a monster." I leaned down and wrapped my arms around him. I was overjoyed. "You are James. You are wonderful." I said the next part quietly, whispering it into his shirt. "You are mine."

Later I sat in my room, restless. I felt strange. Trying to organize my thoughts and feelings, I paced around. I loved him. I could hardly believe it, but I did love him. I chewed at my lip, trying to decide what it meant for me. Just yesterday he had asked me to marry him and I was frightened by his sudden burst of such strong emotions. Yesterday I hadn't loved him. Yesterday I had the same strong desire to flee the castle that I always had. Today, however… Today I loved him. Still, though, I wanted nothing more than freedom outside the castle walls. As I continued to process my feelings, a knock came to the door.

I stopped pacing. "Come in," I called.

Emma entered carrying an armful of dresses. "Your dresses, milady," she said with a laugh.

"Emma!" I said sternly. "Don't ever call me that again!" Despite my best efforts to act insulted, I was laughing too.

"So you've decided to give up the servant life?" she asked as she set the dresses on the bed.

I shrugged. "I prefer to think of it as taking advantage of what little time I have left here," I told her vaguely. I wasn't about to tell anyone I was in love with the beast.

She looked at me with a confused expression but began putting the dresses away. She seemed to notice that something wasn't the same. She wasn't going to rest until she had figured out what. "What made you decide to agree?"

I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Like I said, I wanted to take advantage of the situation."

She smirked at me. "What situation?"

I sighed, frustrated. "Look, he offered again and I figured it would be nice to know what it's like to live on the other side of things. Can't you just leave it at that?"

She raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on her hip. "There's something you aren't telling me, Isolde, and I don't like it. However, it's no longer my place to continue to badger you." She hung the last dress in the wardrobe then came to sit next to me on the bed. She gestured to the wardrobe. "He had me start working on those quite a while back. Not long after you first declined his offer to become a guest, I think. They have been sitting waiting since then."

"Really?" I was surprised.

She nodded. "We'll miss you downstairs."

I gave a small laugh. "I hide out on my own so often… Nobody will notice I'm not down there. I will tell you this, though: I still intend to mend his shirts. Nobody else can do it like me."

She laughed with me. "That's true. You know, I can bring them up here for you to do in your room."

I smiled. "Actually, I was thinking to just do them with him in his study." I felt a blush creep up into my cheeks.

A small smile slowly came to Emma's face. "You're spending more time with him then?"

I nodded, trying to seem nonchalant about it.

"Isolde, I will ask you once more and then I promise I won't ask ever again." She scooted closer to me on the bed. "What made you decide to take his offer?"

I blushed furiously. "You wouldn't understand," I murmured.

"I think I would understand far more than you think." She gave me an accusing look. "You love him, don't you?" I gasped and turned to her with wide eyes. She squealed and clapped her hands with delight. "You _do!_ Oh honey, don't be so embarrassed! He was human once. Very few people can see it, but I certainly can. He used to hide it very well, but you've been good for him." She gave another small laugh. "I don't look like it, but I have been around here for a very long time. Longer than you've been here. I noticed how he has changed. Everyone has"

"Emma, I don't know what to do about it! I turn eighteen in less than four months." I fell back onto the bed, covering my face with my hands. "I love him so much."

She sighed, falling back next to me. "I can't tell you what to do. You have to decide for yourself. You can decide whether you should go or if you should stay. All I know is that you have done wonders for his soul."

"Yesterday he asked me to marry him," I mumbled.

She gasped, propping herself up on her elbow. "What?"

"You heard me," I said tersely.

She fell back beside me again. "Well, now. Isn't that just something." She let out a long, loud sigh. "What are you going to do?"

I moaned. "I asked _you_ for a reason. Aren't you supposed to be all wise and everything? You're older than me. Impart some wisdom. Come on, Emma!"

"Honey, I have no idea how to help you. Honest. I'm not exactly an expert on love and this is a very special circumstance."

"I know," I said with defeat. "I know."

After Emma left, I went to seek out my father. I hadn't told him about the beast's proposal yesterday. I decided he needed to know everything.

I found him in the garden shed, sharpening his pruning shears. When I entered, he stopped what he was doing and grinned.

"I hear you're a _lady_ now," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "You know I'm not a _lady_," I said. "I'm just taking advantage of his offer. I figure I might as well make my last few days comfortable. I could persuade him to give you a room, too! You could be comfortable for the rest of your life, Papa!"

He laughed. "No, I'm fine. He already passed on the offered to me, you know. When he offered it to you the first time. I'm sure he'll try and offer again, but I am fine living where I am."

"He offered before?" I asked.

"Well, he sent the butler to ask me, but yes. He did. I refused the offer. I know my place."

"Papa!"

He sat down in a worn wooden chair. "Don't 'Papa!' me, Isolde. I'm _fine_. Now tell me everything. I know you aren't telling the whole story."

I gave a frustrated groan. What was with everyone today? Am I that transparent? I leaned against the wall and looked at him. "What do you want to hear?"

"Don't get like that, Isolde. I want to know the truth, that's all. I want to know what's going on with you. I hardly see you anymore."

I sighed, letting my head fall back to rest against the wall. "He asked me to marry him yesterday."

"You said no." It wasn't a question.

"Correct."

He clucked his tongue. "How about that, hm?"

"There's more, Papa."

He just looked at me. "I figured as much. Tell me."

I frowned and walked over to him. I knelt down and took his hands. "I love him," I whispered.

His face was almost comical when I told him. He blinked a couple times and shook his head. "That's… big," he said.

"He loves me, too."

"You did a good thing, refusing his proposal," he told me. "It isn't fair to either of you."

I nodded. "That's what I told him."

* * *

**OKAY. NOW REVIEW. I know it just moved crazy fast there. Isolde was just completely hating the Beast, and now this? Yeah, I know. Anyway, I want to hear your thoughts. :)**


	7. James Has a Dream

**Hey readers! I just want to thank you all for reviewing! Seriously, it was really great to hear from you.  
**

**I just want to address a few concerns the reviews brought to my attention. I tried to PM you if you weren't a guest reviewer, but here goes:**

**1) The story moves super fast. **Yes, it does. I had the idea come to me and I wrote the whole story in one sitting, got super excited about it and began to put it online before proofing it much. Alas, it led to this.

**2) The POV-switching from 1st to 3rd.** I thought it was a good idea at the time, now I'm thinking I'm going to edit the story once it's completely uploaded and either post a new version or just switch out this story. Keep me on Author Alert just in case!

**3) Isolde's feelings change almost overnight.** Yeah, kind of. I did mention that time passes, but I need to add some filler in there so we can get a feel of that change happening over a period of time.

**So thanks again for all of the reviewing!**

* * *

The beast sat at the dinner table waiting for Isolde to come down. He was so happy, so overjoyed. He knew he didn't have much time left with her, but he felt so… liberated. It was a new feeling for the beast, but a somewhat familiar one to James. It was different. Strange. But good.

"Good evening, James."

He snapped out of his reverie and saw her standing at the other end of the table. She wore one of the dresses he had made the housekeeper make for her. She looked absolutely radiant. Her hair seemed to shine more, her eyes glittered brighter. She smiled brightly at him.

He stood, gesturing to the seat next to him. "Come, sit next to me."

She came and sat down. "You look nice tonight," she remarked as he sat down with her.

He was startled by the compliment, though he had put a little more effort into his appearance. Nobody had complimented him in almost a century.

"I am nothing but a monster compared to you," he said. "You look… You're beautiful."

She blushed slightly. "I _told_ you," she said emphatically. "You are _not_ a monster."

He rolled his eyes at her, giving her what he hoped she would recognize as a smile. Her smile back told him that she knew what he was trying to accomplish.

Dinner was served promptly. It was extraordinary. It was all very luxurious and flavorful with more food than the both of them could have eaten. There were five courses, the last being a very elaborately decorated cake.

"This is all so wonderful! Did you do this all for me?" Isolde asked at the end of the meal.

"Of course I did! It's not often that someone finds someone to truly love them. I may not remember much of being human, but I know that love is precious. I felt it was a good enough reason to celebrate." He felt confident and happy for the first time in a very long time. He knew it wouldn't last much longer and wanted to cherish it for as long as he could.

They got up and took a walk in the gardens. The sun was setting and the sky was lit with brilliant shades of orange.

"I don't know much about you," the beast said as they strolled alongside the rose bushes. "I didn't even know you existed. You lived under my roof for years and I had no idea. I want to know everything there is to know about you." His voice was eager. "I want to know what your likes and dislikes are. What do you like to do in your free time? What are your favorite flowers?"

She smiled. "Roses are my favorite. The roses you gave me before were gorgeous. I loved them, even though at the time I was a little uncomfortable accepting them. I love to read in my spare time. When we first arrived there weren't many children my age, so my mother taught me to read. She wanted to make sure I wasn't running around getting in trouble."

"How old were you?"

"I was five. I have a brother and sister. They were a few years older than me and stayed behind with an aunt of ours who lived not far away. I refused to be parted from my mother's side so they finally agreed to bring me along. Besides, my aunt already had my three cousins to raise, so she would have had a hard enough time with them and my siblings. She didn't need to add me to her list of worries. Anyway, my mother and father did their best to raise me the best they could in this environment." She kicked a pebble on the path absentmindedly.

He felt a pang of guilt. "Do you regret your choice?"

She looked up at him with an amused expression. "If you had asked me six months ago I would have said I absolutely regretted it. I was only five. I couldn't have predicted the outcomes of any of the choices that were put before me. I didn't know what any of it meant. I just knew I wanted to be with my parents." She frowned, suddenly very serious. "But that's just an absolutely crazy question now, James. I couldn't possibly regret my choice anymore. If I had chosen to stay behind with my siblings or if my parents had made me stay, I would have never met you."

For some reason he couldn't help but doubt her, despite her emphatic tone. He couldn't help but feel responsible. "Still, you missed out on a lot of things most children get to experience."

She shook her head. "I had a pretty good childhood, all things considering. It was a little lonely at first, but I found a way to make the best of it. Yes, I wonder what it would have been like if I hadn't come here with my parents, but I also sometimes wonder what it would have been like to grow up as a princess." She gave a small laugh. "You see, James, it doesn't matter what happened before. Don't sound so sorry about it! It isn't your fault that my parents were sent here. They made a poor choice that brought them here. I made my choice too." She wrapped her arm around the crook of his elbow and leaned into him a little.

He winced at her last sentence. It reminded him that her choice was to inevitably leave the castle. He wouldn't have her forever.

That night, he dreamt of ruling over a huge country. People respected him and looked to him for leadership. They trusted him and not once did they cringe at the sight of him. He walked the halls of a large castle full of people. He met both servants who were happy to serve for him and nobles who were honored to be a guest in his home. Then the dream turned dark. There was a fierce dragon that attacked a village. Then his brother, Henry, who came back a hero.

The last he remembered was an enchantress who told him in a frightening whisper, "She must marry you willingly, without knowing that it is the only way to break your curse. You have only three months. If she leaves and never returns, you will live only as long as she does. You are no longer immortal, my dear king. The clock is ticking."

He woke up suddenly, startled by the dream. He remembered! He remembered everything! He remembered being human, being a king. Henry had slayed the dragon, the enchantress's dragon, to save the village from complete devastation. He had been the only one brave enough to face the monster and save the kingdom.

The enchantress's words echoed in James's head. He must have known deep down there was a way to break his curse, that's why he had asked Isolde to marry him. He would beg her to marry him every night until her eighteenth birthday, if that's what it took.

* * *

Adjusting to a new schedule- or lack thereof- proved to be very difficult for me. I was happy to have James's shirts to mend or else I would have nothing to do but read. There were times that I would sneak away to find Emma because I was so bored.

It took James several weeks to adjust as well. He wasn't used to having to entertain someone. He wasn't used to having someone to entertain him, either. I discovered that James slept late and did very little during the day. He almost never left the castle and on the rare occasion that he did, he would only spend several minutes in the garden before returning to his study.

We sat talking a lot. Ever since we discovered how each other felt, however, things felt strange. Our conversations always seemed to revolve around the future. Then we would remember that there wasn't much time left until I turned eighteen and we would drift into an awkward silence. One day he suggested that I begin reading to him again so that we didn't have to worry about conversations going astray.

"I love the sound of your voice," he said shyly when he suggested it.

I smiled. "You do?"

"Yes. The first time I ever heard you speak, I thought your voice sounded so angelic. It was what first caught my attention," he told me.

I laughed. "My voice?"

"Don't laugh!" he said with a smile. "It's true! That's what made me first fall in love with you. I bet you sing beautifully, too." He had a wicked twinkling in his eye.

"Don't you dare ask me to sing! I do not sing. I _can't_ sing."

He laughed. "I doubt that! You really wouldn't sing for me if I asked?"

"Absolutely not. My father always used to make fun of me when I would sing in the garden with him. I will _not_ sing."

He gave me a skeptical look and said, "Fine. I'll hear you sing someday, though. Go pick out something to read."

I laughed and jumped up to pick out something from the hundreds of books lining the library shelves.

As I returned, I said absentmindedly, "Speaking of voices, yours seems to be different lately."

"Really? Different how?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Not quite as harsh. You're less… growly, I suppose. I don't know how to put it. You _sound_the same, but at the same time… you don't."

He laughed. "Maybe I'm coming down with a cold."

"It's not just your voice, though. You seem different overall."

"How do you mean?" He appeared confused, but strangely hopeful, which surprised me.

I frowned. "I don't really know. I can't pin-point it. Your voice… Your teeth seem to be less scary now, too. Your hands…"

He laughed. "You mean paws?"

I shook my head and laughed a little with him. "I don't know what it is, James, but you seem different lately than when I first truly met you. Maybe I'm imagining things."

He shrugged it off, said nothing else about it, and just urged me to start reading.

A month before my birthday, James and I were sitting in his study. I was trying to mend as many shirts as I could before I left and someone else was left with the task.

"Isolde?"

"Yes, James?" I asked absentmindedly.

"I remember who I am."

I looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

He rubbed his paws on his thighs. "I remember my life before this."

"You do?" I asked, stunned.

"The night after you told me you loved me I had a dream about my past. Ever since I've been remembering little details here and there."

I gaped at him. "Wow. So who were you? Do you remember what brought you here?"

He nodded and launched into a story about being a king of a huge kingdom. He told me about how peaceful everything was and how a dragon threatened all of that. His brother, Henry, slayed the dragon and saved the villagers. Then he told me about the enchantress and how she wanted to kill Henry.

"I wouldn't let her do that. So I took his place," he said. "The enchantress thought it was noble of me or something and instead made me this and gave my kingdom eternal peace and prosperity."

I couldn't believe his story. I felt suddenly very small in his presence. "You're a _king_?"

"_Was_ a king," he corrected.

I shook my head. I put down my mending to go sit on his knee. I leaned into him. "Once a king, always a king. It explains so much about you, James. Truly. You are a king to me."

He laughed. "Thank you for that, though I beg to differ. A beast can never be a king."

"Don't!" I scolded him. "You know how I feel about you talking about yourself like that. And don't argue with me!"

He shook his head, still laughing. "Yes, Isolde. Whatever you say."

I moved to get up but he stopped me. I looked to him expectantly.

His face was full of hope. His eyes conveyed so much emotion. "Isolde, I told myself I would ask you every day until you left, but I have been too afraid. I need to ask you again... Will you marry me?"

I felt my heart tighten. "I would marry you in a heartbeat if it meant that we wouldn't be trapped here. I have lived most of my life trapped here. I wish I could stay, James, but I just _can't_. I need to have freedom."

His face fell, the hope and excitement gone. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

I bit my lip. "No, I'm not. I want to stay here with you. I want to marry you. I really do. But remember what I said the first time you asked? It isn't fair to either of us. I will grow old and die, leaving you alone again. I will have lived a lonely life without knowing anything else in the world."

He looked like he was desperate to argue more, to tell me something, but he stopped himself. "Do you mind leaving me for a while? I need time to myself. I will see you at dinner."

I got up and hovered in front of him. I couldn't leave him like this. Why didn't he want me to stay? "James, please-"

"Go."

I felt heartbroken. No doubt he was feeling the same way and it was all my fault.

"I'm sorry," I whispered before I left the room.

* * *

**So there are only two more chapters left! I think after this one and the last one, the next two are better.**

**PLEASE continue to review. I honestly very much appreciated all of the reviews this past week. Thanks so much again!**


	8. Isolde Has a Dream

**Sorry this is a bit late-ish. When I originally wrote the story, as I believe I have said before, I wrote it all out at once, making eight chapters with a prologue. When I got to this chapter, I sort of knew how I wanted it to end, so I hurried up and left this one a bit short. The past couple of weeks have been me sitting at my computer with a blinking cursor while I try to add fluff. Whenever I came up with anything, it was dumb and pointless. So you get a short chapter today.  
**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

James paced his study in frustration after Isolde left. He had to find a way to make her stay! She wanted to stay and marry him- she said so herself. The only thing holding her back was something that wouldn't matter if she actually married him! He would become human again and she would live the life she deserved- _with him_.

He suddenly felt the urge to break something again. He balled his hands into fists, trying to control his anger. In that instant, he truly hated the enchantress. Isolde loved him! Wasn't that enough to break the curse? He certainly thought it should have been enough. He let out a low growl, sneering at the fire. He needed to make her stay. But how?

He had asked the housekeeper, Emma, to start making Isolde a simple wedding dress. The woman had told him just the other day that it was nearly finished. With only a month left until Isolde's birthday, however, he feared the dress was going to go to waste. He should have started asking her to marry him much earlier. If he had, he might have persuaded her by now- or at least gotten closer to an acceptance. His heart ached with the possibilities.

At dinner, Isolde made idle chit-chat and pretended nothing had happened, as was her specialty. Usually he appreciated her sweet, eager way to smooth over the tense situations between them, but nothing could calm his frustration. He sat in silence, angry and brooding, while she chatted away.

Finally, she seemed to have had enough. She put down her knife rather loudly and looked at him in frustration. He looked at her, startled. "Brooding will not make me marry you, James. Oh, heavens. Don't look so surprised. You threw me out of the study and now you're throwing a fit like a child. How else do you expect me to respond?" She softened her voice. She pleaded with him, "Please. Don't go back to the monster. I can't have you go back to that."

"I'm sorry, Isolde." He looked down at the table. "You just don't understand how badly I need you with me. How much this is breaking me."

She didn't say anything. The rest of the meal went by silently and she retreated back to her room before he could ask her to stay. He felt ashamed for the way he acted. He returned to his own room in defeat.

He was ruining their last few weeks together when it should be special. He vowed to make it better.

When morning came, James woke up earlier than usual. He gathered quite a few bunches of roses from the garden. He put one large one in the dining room for when she came down for breakfast. He put several in the library and one in the study. He had Emma write out an apology card for him and sent it with an especially large bouquet of roses to her room for when she awoke.

He was already in the dining room when she came down. She remained silent as she sat down for her breakfast, never once acknowledging his presence.

"Did you like the roses?" he asked.

She didn't respond. When her plate was set before her, she began to eat, still ignoring him. James was frustrated. Why was she still upset? Why wouldn't she look at him or speak to him?

When she was finished, she got up. "Isolde," he said quickly, "you can't ignore me like this. I am so sorry for the way I acted yesterday." She paused at the door, not turning around but still listening. He quickly continued on. "Please, I want to make this next month as wonderful as I can for you. I don't want you to leave thinking poorly of me."

She stood where she was for a moment, then walked out of the room without saying a word.

He felt incredibly defeated and hopeless. He hadn't felt this way since the dragon had attacked his subjects. With a sigh, he dragged himself back upstairs to his study.

* * *

I curled up under the covers after breakfast. I was so exhausted after a night of tossing and turning with practically no sleep at all. I couldn't seem to process my feelings. They flew around in my mind like snowflakes, elusive and hard to focus on just one. The moment I thought I was able to grasp one, it had disappeared.

As I pulled the blankets up to cover me completely, I tried to block out any thoughts having to do with James. I couldn't think about him. My heart was barely beating in my chest. It ached more than any physical wound could ever possibly hurt.

I finally drifted off into a fitful sleep, dreaming one strange dream after another.

The most vivid dream was of a fiercely beautiful woman who stood outside the gates of the castle. She opened the gate, walked onto the grounds, and said, "Isolde, your birthday is approaching soon. At the stroke of midnight on every child's eighteenth birthday, I stand here to open the gates. I wait until the sun rises. After that, I leave and anyone who has not made it to the gates is destined to live forever in this place." She gestured to the castle grounds then focused back to me. Her eyes shone with a strange glow as she spoke again.

"However, your circumstances have changed the game. You have fallen in love with my greatest creation and he has fallen even deeper in love with you. Anyone else who met me here was here well before midnight, eager to make their escape. However, your choice is not quite as easy to make as anyone else's. This means you will need to be very confident in whatever choice you make. To help speed up the process, I will give you only an hour to walk through these gates."

She turned and walked back through the gates, shutting them completely. "You have a huge choice to make, Isolde. One that will affect another person other than yourself. Choose wisely."

I awoke feeling very stiff. My head ached and my mouth tasted awful. As I slowly opened my eyes, I heard a voice.

"You're awake!" Emma was instantly at my side with a cup of water. "Isolde, how do you feel?"

I blinked away the sleepiness in my eyes. "What are you doing in here?" I croaked.

She helped me sit up so I could have a drink of water. "You were asleep for over a week. The enchantress visited you in your sleep, didn't she?"

A week? How was that possible? "Yes, she did. How did you know?"

"Everyone falls into a deep sleep when she visits them. However, they usually don't sleep for a whole week, let alone any longer than that."

"James?" I asked weakly after I had taken several small sips of water.

She took the cup from me and asked, "Would you like for me to send for him? He has been very worried."

I nodded eagerly. "Please." I needed to see him. I felt so terrible for treating him like I did.

She went out to the hall where someone stood waiting. She sent them after James and then she returned to my side. "I am having some food brought up as well. Are you hungry?" When she mentioned food, my stomach gave a very loud growl. She laughed. "I will take that as a yes."

I looked around the room. Roses were everywhere in various states. Some were obviously freshly picked while some had been sitting in my room for several days.

"So many roses," I remarked quietly.

"Yes. He sent one with me every day you were asleep. He wouldn't come up here himself. He wanted to, though. I could tell." She wiped my face with a cool towel. "He loves you very much, Isolde. More than I have ever seen anyone love a person."

I nodded. "I know."

Suddenly, the door creaked open and James poked his head in. "May I come in?" he asked quietly.

Emma jumped up and went to the door. "Yes, please, come in," she told him. As he entered, she backed out of the room saying, "I will go check on the food."

He walked into the room slowly. He sat down in the chair next to the bed and gave me a smile. I was struck by how much he had changed. This time I knew it wasn't just my imagination. His fur was lighter, perhaps even shorter, and his eyes were even more expressive and bright. His claws were not nearly as sharp and pronounced as they had once been. His teeth were most _definitely_ less pointed and frightening. His paws had become more like hands. Even the way he walked was different.

"James," I murmured, entranced by the changes.

"Isolde." He took my hand and looked at me sorrowfully. "I am so sorry."

"No," I said. "I am the one who should be sorry. I treated you awful that morning. You were just trying to make amends and I wouldn't have any of it. I'm sorry."

"I want to make the best of the next seventeen days," he said softly.

Seventeen days? That wasn't very long at all. I nodded. "I do too," I told him. "I don't want to ruin this."

"Will you marry me?" he asked softly.

I felt my heart start racing faster and faster. I sighed sadly and started to shake my head. "Oh, James…"

He stopped me before I could go on. "I know. I didn't expect anything to change. I'm sorry for asking again, but I won't stop asking. I can't stop asking. I will ask you sixteen more times until your birthday. I can't give up hope that you might want to stay with me. You've changed me. You said you noticed that I've been a little different- and I think I _have_ changed. I think it's because of you. You have been good for me and my terrible ways. I feel in control and at peace when I'm with you. The dream that you might stay here with me is the only thing keeping me going. Please understand."

I nodded, feeling his pain and my own. My heart ached with the weight of it. "I do understand. I'm sorry."

He let go of my hand as Emma entered in carrying a tray. He stood and looked at me sadly. "I'm just going to go for a walk while you eat."

"Please come back soon," I begged.

"I will," he assured me.

* * *

******I would like to remind you that there is _only_ _one more chapter_. I'm not saying that your reviews might spur a quicker update, but it certainly won't hurt if you review. Hint hint. I'm not blackmailing you this time, I SWEAR. I just want reviews before I post the last chapter.**

******_ALSO_: If I get enough suggestions, I might even make it into two chapters, depending on how much more material I can come up with. I will recognize everyone who helped me at the end of the story, too, because I have had some suggestions already and you deserve recognition.**

Anyway. Your choice. Review. Don't. Whatever.


	9. Isolde Doesn't Say No

**Ugh. Uuuggghhhh. No excuse, no excuse, except that the past few months have been crazy. We moved a while ago and so keeping up with a bigger house is craaazzzyyyy and with work and the holidays and paying bills and all that fun, new grown-up stuff, I have been neglecting this story.  
**

**So, this is not the last chapter. I was able to come up with a bunch of nonsense in the past few hours to finally get it up & going- and I think it's pretty good nonsense. It's a little short-ish, but the last and final one is just a bit longer.**

**It's almost 3 am where I am right now, so I am just going to post this and not even care about proof reading and all that jazz.**

Sorry for the VERY belated update, but I promise I'll have the next up soon since it's actually ready to go.

**ENJOY.**

* * *

Every night James asked me to marry him, just as he promised he would. During the day we wandered about the castle while he told me stories of his life before the curse. He talked about being king and told me all about his people and his kingdom. He shared stories of his childhood too. He told me about climbing trees with his brother and how they fought with wooden swords in the gardens.

"What was your brother like?" I asked him one day.

"Henry was always the braver one between the two of us. He was fearless," James answered as we walked along a hall lined with suits of armor. "He was certainly more hot-headed too. Many people assumed he was a threat to me because of his brash ways of doing things. He was desperate for recognition and people took that as a sign that he wanted the throne for himself. He didn't though."

He paused to inspect a particular suit of armor. He stared at it for a moment as though he expected it to move. "He never wanted to be king. He was better at leading an army than sitting around with paperwork and mundane duties. He knew that a leader needed to be someone who could keep the country at peace. He didn't know how to do that. He knew how to build up our country's defenses, but that was it. He could have led us to war if anything ever happened, but neither of us wanted it. As hot-headed and impulsive as he was, he never wanted to put our people in danger."

"You were close, weren't you?" I asked.

He nodded, moving away from the armor he had been staring at. "We were. What about your siblings? Do you remember much about them?"

I shrugged. "My sister, Hannah, is six years older than I am. She was always so mature, so helpful. She helped my parents out very often with chores and our stand at the market. My mother called her sensible. I always thought she was just boring. She seemed so grown up to me."

"And your brother?" he asked.

I smiled, feeling a little touched by the fact that he remembered I had both a brother and sister. "Eric. He'll be twenty-two now. He was always joking around, having fun. He did silly little tricks and stunts, trying to make our parents pay attention to him. They pretended to be annoyed, but I could tell they enjoyed it more than they let on. They worked very hard and we lived a somewhat tough life. It wasn't bad, just rough for kids. We didn't have much money."

He led us down another hall with elaborate tapestries hanging on the walls. "What do you suppose they're doing now?"

I shrugged. "Father and I speculate from time to time, taking guesses on what they might be doing at any given moment. When I was little, both of my parents would play a game with me at bed time. We would always guess what song Hannah sang, or what story she told, to Eric at bed time. Whatever we decided she was telling or singing, my mother did the same one. Eventually I grew older and realized that they were too old to be having bedtime songs or stories and so mine stopped too." I smiled, thinking of the memories. "I'm sure they are both married by now. I hope I have nieces and nephews. They were both good people, I can't imagine either of them had trouble settling down."

James nodded silently, not saying much else as we continued our walk down the hall. When we reached the stairs again, he gave me a smile. "Let's go back to the study. I'm ready for some tea. It should be waiting for us."

* * *

James and Isolde sat in the study, quietly chatting about their families. Their tea was finished and Isolde was finishing the last bit of mending she had in her basket. The mending was hardly anything significant. He noticed that she had been working slower at them, as if not finishing the mending would keep her birthday at bay.

"Do you remember that day I told you that it seemed like you had changed?" she asked suddenly.

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, I think so." He most certainly remembered the comment. He tried to pass it off as nothing and thought he had succeeded in keeping her curiosity away, but he knew her too well to think she was done with it.

She bit her lip and said, "Please don't think I'm going crazy, but you _have_ changed, James. Your fur is lighter and your teeth are much less pronounced. Your eyes seem so much more… I don't know- brighter, more radiant. They were the first things I noticed about you that seemed human when we first met, but now they seem even more so. Your voice isn't as gravelly or threatening. It's softer." She didn't say anything more, just sat and stared into the fire.

He didn't reply right away and she didn't press for a reaction. He simply thought about what to say. The enchantress told him that as long as Isolde loved him and kept him company, he would slowly lose his animalistic characteristics. It wouldn't mean a full cure. It would only change him enough to make the human transformation easier- if it ever happened. He hadn't thought that the changes would be quite so drastic. It was something that Isolde couldn't be told about and he had to tread lightly.

"You must be rubbing off on me," he said in both a joking and final tone.

She either caught on or lost interest. Either way, she didn't bring it up again. The rest of the day went smoothly and without trouble. When dinner came, he decided to look extra presentable. Since she had noticed the changes, perhaps he could use it to his advantage and dress accordingly. He got his next-to-best clothes out and tried to make himself appear as human as he possibly could.

Though he never looked into a mirror, he had noticed the changes in himself as well. He had noticed his voice changing after Isolde had pointed it out the first time. He had also begun to realize that his hands were no longer as threatening as they had been. When he got dressed, he noticed his clothes fit a little bit looser than they had before. His trousers were longer and he had to have Emma hem them to keep Isolde's suspicions away.

Tonight was no different. As he dressed himself in his room, he was acutely aware of the changes. His shirt felt too baggy on him, though his trousers did fit decently after Emma's alterations. He tucked in the shirttails the best he could without making it too obvious that he was working with a lot of excess fabric.

For the first time since he had become the monster, James decided to look at his appearance in the mirror. He knew what to expect- the image of his horrific reflection had burned into his memory without fading. Going to the corner of the room, he cautiously approached the vanity that had been covered with a sheet for years.

Without hesitation, he yanked off the sheet and was shocked at what he saw. His memory painted the portrait of a monster with twisted, horrifying features. The monster had large, sharp teeth and razor-like claws with unruly fur that was as dark as night. The monster was the stuff of children's nightmares. He knew for a fact that he had become the scary story parents told their children so as to keep them from his forest.

However, the being that reflected back at him had much less fur. The creature almost appeared immaculately groomed compared to the monster of James's memory. He could hardly believe that he was looking at his own reflection. His eyes were just as Isolde described: brighter and more radiant. His teeth were smaller and less menacing. With much hesitation, he smiled at himself in the mirror to see what it looked like. Isolde was always commenting that it was nice to see him smile. He was amazed that this was what she was in love with.

As he headed down the stairs, he was more aware of how he carried himself. He stood as straight and regally as he possibly could. He thought back to his lessons from his childhood on how a king carried himself. He took a detour to the gardens, where he quickly chose a pretty bouquet to give to Isolde. He had only a week left with her. He was determined to make her feel beyond special for the next few days.

When he entered the dining room, Isolde stood by the fire, looking into it absently.

"I brought you some flowers," he said.

Smiling, she looked up. When she saw him, her face brightened even more. "You look so nice tonight," she said as he approached her.

He held out the flowers. "I could never compete with you, though," he said with a laugh.

She thanked him and the two sat down at the table, eating in their usual comfortable silence.

"What story would you like to read tonight?" he asked as they finished their meals.

She shrugged. "I don't really mind," she said. Suddenly she grinned. "Can we skip reading tonight? Could we just sit out in the gardens at look at the stars?"

He smiled. "A wonderful idea, Isolde," he said.

They went out to the gardens and sat down on a bench. Though it was winter out in the forest, the air was comfortable in the gardens. James couldn't have come up with a better place to propose if he tried.

He pointed out several constellations to her and she followed his hand closely, listening to each story he remembered from his childhood.

Finally, the end of their evening began to draw to an end. He gazed up at the sky, rehearsing his proposal in his head one last time. He knew precisely was he was going to say and how he would respond if she said either yes or no.

He looked back at her and was once again amazed by her beauty in the moonlight. He smiled and gathered the courage to once again ask her the same question he had been asking for days.

"Isolde, you are amazing."

She looked to him with a smile. "I know you don't believe it, but you are too."

He laughed. "Your admiration of me is amazing. I'm just a creature who used to be a human"

"Aha!" she cried excitedly. "You didn't call yourself a monster."

He shrugged. "Tonight I have decided that I am not. It's as though I didn't exist until you came along. You woke something inside of me and I'm better for it. I cannot thank you enough for that." He looked up at the sky again for a moment, then back to her. "You have no idea how much you have done for me." She blushed and gave him a sweet smile. He pressed on, feeling more confident. "You are truly wonderful and something special. I don't ever want to let go of you. I will always be yours, Isolde." He took her hands and pleaded, "Please, Isolde. Say you'll always be mine too?"

She had tears in her eyes. "I have never been more desperate to say yes. I want to marry you, James, I really do. I want to be with you. It breaks my heart to say no every night."

He jumped in quickly, saying, "Then don't. Please. At least say you'll marry me, just so I can hear you say it. _Please_, Isolde. I just want to hear it."

She was truly crying now and his heart broke to see her tears, but he needed her to say yes.

She looked at him sadly, clutching his hands. "I want to, James. I want to say yes, but that isn't fair to you. Tonight, I won't say no, but I cannot say yes."

"I will continue trying, Isolde. You know that, right?" he asked, his voice cracking.

She nodded, looking down at their hands clasped tightly together. "I know." She took a deep breath and said, "You also should know what I will say each time."

He nodded and they walked back inside.

For the next week, he asked her every night and every night she refused to say yes.

Despite all of it, James went to bed with a smile because she no longer said no.

* * *

**OH, hey, there.**

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	10. The Man in the Garden

**Drumroll, please.  
**

**This is the final installment of "Isolde and the Beast."  
**

**Enjoy.**

* * *

The day before my birthday- my last day at the castle- was the hardest day I had ever experienced.

We stayed together all day. We never once left each other's side. I read to him all morning so we didn't have to talk about the fact that he would be alone again the next morning. We ate our lunch in silence. After lunch, we took a long walk in the gardens. We talked idly of the weather and various different topics that mostly revolved around the castle. Afterwards we returned to the library where James had a somewhat large and plainly wrapped package waiting for me.

"James, what is this?" I asked, curious. I hadn't expected a gift from him.

He gave me a smile, sitting down in his chair. "A birthday present. Open it and see what it is."

I grinned back and unwrapped the gift. I opened the box to reveal a beautiful fur-lined cloak. "What is this for?"

"It's still quite cold outside the castle walls. In here the weather stays beautiful all year long… You'll need something to keep you warm when you leave tonight."

"It's beautiful," I told him, admiring it. I wrapped it around my shoulders to try it on. It was warm and comforting.

"You look stunning in it," he told me quietly.

I put it back in its box and sat down on his knee. I leaned into him and we stared into the fire for some time. Before I realized what I was doing, I was singing softly.

"You _do_ sing beautifully," he said as my song trailed off.

I looked to him, surprised. "Truly?"

"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever heard," he said, his voice sounding wounded.

I shook my head. "I doubt that, but thank you." I leaned in closer to him, resting my head against his chest. Soon I was fast asleep.

James awoke me several hours later. "Hello, sleepy head." He gave me a smile. "It's time for dinner."

I yawned and nodded sleepily. Suddenly he scooped me up in his arms. I squealed. "James! What are you doing!"

He laughed and continued to carry me out the door. "I'm taking you down to dinner, you silly girl."

I laughed with him. My giddiness was so natural around him. It felt strange to laugh knowing that I only had a few hours more before I needed to leave.

To my surprise, my father was waiting when we arrived in the dining hall. James set me down gently and I ran to my father. He smiled a little nervously after seeing James carry me in.

"I am so happy to see you. I was going to come find you after dinner," I told him.

He hugged me tight and said, "I was told I was invited to dinner."

I looked to James in surprise. He simply smiled at me and sat down in his chair. We sat down with him and began sharing stories of our childhoods. James was entertained by my father's accounts of my childhood antics and I was fascinated to hear James speak more of his own past.

Dinner went by much too fast and the three of us went to the library where I read to James one last time.

The clock chimed nine and James stopped me. "You should get your rest," he said sadly.

I closed the book slowly and nodded. "I suppose you're right."

I bid my father a sad farewell and he left James and me to say our own goodbyes.

"I have to ask you one last time," he said, his voice choking up. "Will you marry me?"

I shook my head. "I'm so, so sorry."

He nodded, and said, with his voice still strained with emotion, "I didn't expect you to say yes. You are right. You need to have a life of your own. You must promise me though, that you'll live it fully."

I began to cry. "I promise."

It took us almost an hour, but we managed to say our final goodbyes and part ways.

When I reached my room, Emma was sitting on my bed waiting for me. I went to her and cried into her shoulder. "We just have to think of this as a good thing," she said as she wrapped her arms around me. We sat quietly on the bed for a while, wrapped in each other's arms.

Finally I was able to control my weeping. We got up and started preparing for my departure. She helped me pack a small bag of my clothes and belongings to take with me. I had refused to pack until this moment. I didn't want to ruin my last weeks at the castle worrying about preparing to leave before I had to. When we had put the last dress we thought was useful in the bag and I had changed into a more suitable dress for travel, she pulled something from a drawer in the wardrobe.

"I found this when I was cleaning out your old room today. We're supposedly getting a new maid and I found this under the mattress."

She held out the very first book I had read to James. I took it from her and looked at it with surprise. "I forgot I had put that there," I told her quietly. "This was the very first book I ever read to him. When I forgot the tray, I went back to the library. He was still there in his chair, staring at the fire. He picked up the book and tried to open it but his claws were too sharp." I opened up the front cover to show her the ripped pages.

Suddenly, the clock chimed twelve. I looked at it in disbelief. I was eighteen. I was able to escape the confines of the castle at last.

"Are you ready?"

I looked at the book, then back at her. "As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose."

* * *

James sat in his study, unable to sleep. He wanted to run down and beg Isolde one more time not to leave, but he knew she had made her choice. He thought about watching her leave out the window then decided it would be too painful for him.

The distant chiming of the grandfather clock in the hallway told him that she was on her way out the gate soon. It was midnight and there was nothing he could do about her departure now.

Without thinking, he grabbed a nearby vase and threw it at the wall. It shattered loudly and the pieces flew all over the room. He growled angrily then roared even louder. The side of him that had disappeared over the past few months had returned. He was angry again. He felt less in control. Subconsciously he knew that he would be fully gone by morning.

He stood and kicked Isolde's basket of mending she had left behind. A book sat on the chair she used to sit in. He picked it up and ripped it apart. He wouldn't allow any books in the castle ever again. He would have all of the books in the library collected to be burned, along with every rose bush in the gardens. Nothing could remain that reminded him of her.

He knew she only had an hour to get out, so he stayed in his study until the hour was up, throwing things and yelling incoherent complaints. He paced back and forth like a caged animal. When the clock told him it was one o'clock, he left the study to storm down to the library to smash some more things.

As he descended the stairs on all fours- just like an animal- he nearly ran into someone. He didn't bother to mumble apologies and kept going at full speed.

He threw open the library doors, nearly pulling them off their hinges. He smashed every vase or sculpture in the room into millions of pieces. Once everything breakable had been obliterated, he moved to the bookshelves where he began ripping as many books as he could to shreds.

He finally had worn himself out and collapsed in his chair by the fireplace, the only unharmed thing in the entire room. He growled once more angrily then heard an amused voice at the door.

"Trying to read?"

The question caused him to turn his head sharply to look for the speaker with a fierce growl. At first, he thought he was seeing things. Leaning against the doorway was Isolde, looking thoroughly amused. James jumped up at the sight of her, stunned and confused. He could feel the monster inside him ebbing away. "Isolde! What are you doing here?"

She smiled then pushed herself off the doorframe. "Well, you nearly knocked me down back there. I wanted to see what you were in such a hurry to do so late at night." She laughed and walked over to him.

He struggled for words to reply. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

She shrugged. "I figured no one can mend your shirts like I can. I can't have you running around wearing tattered shirts or nothing at all. Besides, somebody has to keep you in line if you're going to act like that." She pointed to She walked by him and sat down in his chair. She held out a book. "I had forgotten I had taken this that first Monday I read to you. Do you remember?"

He looked closely at the book, remembering the day she caught him losing his temper over a silly book. "Of course I remember," he said cautiously, not knowing what she was getting at.

She smiled, remembering the day, too. "I watched you hold this book like it was a baby sparrow one minute, then throw it across the room as if it were the devil himself the next. When you caught me outside those doors I thought for sure you would be angry with me, but all you said was 'I'm sorry you had to see that.' You simply walked away."

He could hardly comprehend what she was saying. He just stared at her, wondering what she was doing exactly. Why wasn't she gone? What was she doing here in the library, sitting in his chair? He gave her a confused look, hoping she would explain herself.

"I did a lot of things for you over the past year," she said. "I mended your shirts, brought you tea, read to you… Now, I was wondering if you might do me a favor in return."

He stared at her some more. She didn't need to possibly ask for anything. He would go to the ends of the earth for her if he could. "I will do anything for you. What do you need?" he finally managed to say somewhat eagerly.

She blushed, looking down at her folded hands in her lap. "I was hoping you might give me a twentieth chance."

He blinked at her, confused. "What do you-" He stopped, realizing what she meant.

* * *

I smiled up at him as he absorbed what I had just said.

His face broke into a huge smile. When he spoke, his voice was soft and had a human quality to it- more so than it had before. It was full of love and hope. "I would give you a million chances if you wanted. I'm the one who should be asking for another chance." He knelt down by me and laughed. "Of all the times I've asked you to marry me, this is the only time I've done it properly." He took my hand and smiled at me. "Isolde, will you marry me?"

I grinned at him. "Oh James, I would be honored to be your wife."

Suddenly a bright light began to stream in through the windows, making the room unbearably bright. I covered my eyes and squinted against the sudden light, startled.

It stayed bright in the room for longer than I was comfortable. "What's going on, James?" I asked, still covering my eyes against the light. "James? What's happening?" I waited for a reply, but received none.

The light finally subsided and I found myself sitting alone in the library. The books James had thrown about were back on their shelves and the room itself seemed to vibrate with cheer. It was an odd feeling that I ignored. I was focused on what had happened to James.

"James?" I called out, worried. Where did he go? I stood up, looking around the library in a state of panic. "James!"

I ran out of the library, not sure where to go or what to do. "James?" I called once again, my voice echoing down the empty halls.

I searched everywhere in the castle, getting more and more frantic. I searched everywhere, coming to a dead end in each place I searched. As I re-entered the dining hall for the second time in my search, I caught a glimpse out the window of a man standing among the roses in the garden, lit up by the light of the moon. He was picking a bouquet of roses.

Confused and angry, I quickly made my way out to the gardens to confront the man. What was he doing in James's gardens, and why did he think it was fine to just pick roses that didn't belong to him?

"Excuse me!" I called out, storming up to him. "Who do you think you are, picking roses that don't belong to you?"

He straightened slowly then turned to me with a smile. His appearance startled me. He was wearing too fine of clothing to be a servant and he was breathtakingly handsome. His head was covered with dark, wavy locks. His smile was lopsided and I would have thought it to be absolutely handsome if I weren't in love with James. The man seemed to notice that I was taken aback and he laughed.

"Isolde! I was just picking these for you." He held out the bouquet to me, ignoring my questions.

I took a step back as he offered the bouquet. "They aren't yours to give! Who are you and how do you know my name?"

He walked closer to me, smiling all the while. Something about his smile tugged at something in the back of my mind. He continued to speak, still disregarding my inquiries. "That dress looks beautiful on you, though I did have Emma make a much simpler wedding dress already. It appears the enchantress wanted you to have something fit for a queen instead."

Confused, I looked down at what I was wearing. To my surprise, I was not wearing the dress I had been wearing for my departure. Instead of my plain traveling dress, I wore a fine ivory gown stitched with silver thread. Along the hem were intricately embroidered silver roses. I gasped. How had I not noticed it as I ran about the castle? "What is going on? What are you talking about?" I demanded. "Who are you?"

He took another couple steps closer to me. "Isolde, look closely. Don't you recognize me at all?"

I stepped back again as he approached. Scoffing at him, I said, "Why on earth would I-"

Then I saw it. The silvery gray eyes looking back at me were far too familiar. I had looked into them every day for nearly a year. They were the eyes I had fallen in love with.

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't speak. I opened my mouth and only one word escaped my lips. "James."

He broke into a huge grin and dropped the roses to wrap his arms around me. He lifted me and spun me around in a circle. As he set me back down on my feet, his lips met mine in a warm kiss.

He pulled away and placed a hand on my cheek. "It was so hard not telling you that the curse could be broken, that you wouldn't _have_ to live here forever- or leave me here all alone. The moment you expressed your love for me, I was no longer immortal and I could remember my life before the beast. When I dreamt of my life as king, I also was visited by the enchantress. She reminded me of how my curse could be broken and told me that you couldn't know."

"Oh, James. I'm so sorry I wouldn't marry you earlier," I said quietly.

He shook his head. "No, don't be sorry. You didn't know. You couldn't have known. It's fine now. It's perfect. Now we have each other for the rest of our lives."

The enchantress visited them at sunrise that day, appearing pleased that everything had happened properly and as it should.

"King James, you have a kingdom waiting for you if you wish to take it back. If you choose not to go back, you can take up permanent residence here and I can give you proper status to return into society."

He looked at Isolde, who gave him a smile. He smiled back and said, "I don't think I want to return there. There are too many memories and it has been far too long. This is where my life is now. This is where we shall stay." He wrapped his arm around his love, pulling her close.

The enchantress nodded. "Then so be it, Lord James and Lady Isolde. This is now your home. You are now in charge of hiring and paying salary to your own servants. The current servants will be given the option to stay or leave. I think you will find that many of them may wish to leave, though not all.

"You are now free to come and go from the castle grounds as you wish. You are longer prisoner to the curse or to me. You have both proved that love conquers anything." Suddenly, the sky brightened and a new day was already beginning. The enchantress gestured to the castle. "I believe that you have a wedding to attend."

They walked back into the castle, where they found roses arranged and strewn about elegantly. They entered the unused ballroom which had been set up to accommodate a wedding. All the servants waited patiently in the rows of seats. Isolde looked out over the crowd and was startled to see that her brother and sister and their families sat at the front, looking happy and eager to see their little sister once more. The enchantress had appeared at the front, ready to wed the two in matrimony. Isolde's father waited at the door to lead her down the aisle. Emma stood with him, holding a beautiful flower bouquet. She held it out to Isolde, who took it obediently.

James walked up to the front to stand and wait for her as she was outfitted with a veil. Her father took her arm and led her to the front while another servant played a beautiful violin processional. She couldn't believe it was happening so fast. She was so pleased to be there, though. She couldn't imagine that a better, more beautiful wedding had ever taken place before. Her family, once separated, was reunited. She was marrying the man of her dreams. She felt herself glowing as she made her way down the aisle to the handsome man that was soon to be her husband

Then, they were saying the vows. It was unreal to the both of them. It was like a dream with the atmosphere of sweetly scented roses and beautiful music. It was perfect.

"You may kiss the bride," the enchantress said with a smile.

As James leaned in to kiss his beautiful wife, the enchantress called out over the crowd, "And they shall live happily ever after."

* * *

**Thank you to all of you faithful followers and readers and reviewers! You really have been awesome.** I do want to thank Abi-Cadabby, because the fading of his animalistic features was added thanks to your review! Thanks to Clara Spencer too- your review also helped motivate me to add the idea as well. **All of your reviews were very much appreciated, everyone!**

**I won't be posting any more stories any time soon- **I have just about 100 days left to finish planning my wedding and absolutely nothing is getting accomplished as it is**. However, if you have any suggestions, recommendations, or requests, I would gladly take them into consideration! **

**I have had one suggestion for** **Rapunzel **(thanks, MortalMeg!)-** which I think I might have some good ideas for. If you guys want to offer any ideas towards the story, I will make sure to credit you for your help and update you personally when it is up & running- _if_ it ever does get there.**

**Thanks again!**


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